Albertine Cinémathèque is designed to expand access to French cinema and support film programming at American colleges and universities.
It provides grants for on-campus French film festivals to its members, along with extensive resources to enrich their events, including: — A curated list of films selected by its programming committee — Opportunities to bring filmmakers into dialogue with students
American Universities and Colleges faculty can Become a Member of Albertine Cinémathèque for free!
Festival Grant – Covering Screening Fees for Six Films
Albertine Cinémathèque continues to support French film festivals on campus through its annual Festival Grant program. Successful applicants will be selected by a committee of university faculty and will be invited to choose six films from the 2026–2027 Film Selection, for inclusion in their festival. The screening fees for the six films will be paid directly to the distributors by Albertine Foundation.
Apply Now through January 31, 2026 for festivals in 2026-2027
The selected Grantees and the new Film Selection for 2026-2027 will be announced in March 2026.
A New Timeline – In Partnership with French for All
Albertine Cinémathèque is now part of the French for All initiative by Villa Albertine and the Albertine Foundation. Starting in 2026–2027, Albertine Cinémathèque and French in Higher Education will share the same call for proposals timeline:
October 1, 2025 – January 31, 2026
French in Higher Education, a program managed by the French Embassy in the United States and the Albertine Foundation, aims at further supporting the growth and diversification of French and Francophone studies in colleges and universities by funding innovative projects, including immersive internship programs in Francophone countries, and Francophone job fairs or career events. Grant amounts will range from $2,000 to $20,000, depending on the anticipated impact and matching funds. All US-based post-secondary institutions are eligible and encouraged to apply.
If you are interested in applying to French in Higher Education, please consult this page.
We are thrilled to announce the 2025-2026 Albertine Cinémathèque Grantees who will be organizing a French film festival on their campuses as part of our long-standing program with US colleges and universities.
This year, our Selection Committee has chosen to reward 43 French Film Festivals from a highly competitive pool of applicants. These festivals stood out for their strong curatorial and artistic vision, thoughtful integration into academic curricula, and potential for significant impact within their institutions.
As part of the program, Grantees will screen at least six films from our 2025–2026 Film Selection.
ATLANTA AREA
Alabama:
University of South Alabama
Georgia:
Emory University
Kennesaw State University Research and Service Foundation
University of West Georgia
North Carolina:
Cape Fear Community College
Davidson College
Duke University
East Carolina University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
South Carolina:
University of South Carolina
Tennessee:
Middle Tennessee State University
BOSTON AREA
Massachusetts:
Boston University
Brandeis University
New Hampshire:
Dartmouth College
Vermont:
Middlebury College
CHICAGO AREA
Indiana:
Ball State University
University of Notre Dame
Kentucky:
Northern Kentucky University
Minnesota:
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University
Ohio:
Kent State University
The Ohio State University
Wisconsin:
Beloit College
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
WASHINGTON DC AREA
Maryland:
University of Maryland Baltimore County
University of Maryland Global Campus Europe
HOUSTON AREA
Arkansas:
University of Central Arkansas
Texas:
St. Edward’s University and Huston-Tillotson University
University of Texas at San Antonio
LOS ANGELES AREA
California:
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Northridge
Colorado:
University of Colorado Boulder
MIAMI AREA
Florida:
University of Florida
University of Tampa
NEW ORLEANS AREA
Louisiana:
Loyola University New Orleans
NEW YORK AREA
Connecticut:
Connecticut College
New Jersey:
Princeton University
New York:
Bard College
Columbia University
Cornell University
NYU – French Department
Vassar College
SAN FRANCISCO AREA
Hawai’i:
Hawai’i Pacific University
Idaho:
Boise State University
Congratulations to our Grantees and thank you to everyone who applied!
A special thank you to our dedicated University Committee members: Anne Kern (SUNY Purchase College), Sam Di Iorio (CUNY Hunter College) and David Gerstner (CUNY College of Staten Island)
The next call for applications for the 2026–2027 academic year will open this fall. We strongly encourage all Members to (re)apply, and we look forward to continuing to support your inspiring film festivals.
Albertine Cinémathèque is thrilled to announce its Film Selection for 2025/2026 showcasing the best of French Cinema in the United States!
The Film Selection is composed of three distinctive parts:
— CONTEMPORARY FILMS— ALTERNATIVE LIST— CLASSIC FILMS
Albertine Cinémathèque provides US universities/colleges with a great selection of 22 contemporary films and 7 classics (including one short film) for French film festivals on US campuses. This selection highlights the dynamism and plurality of French Cinema represented by films by high profile filmmakers like Rithy Panh’s Meeting with Pol Pot and Francois Ozon’s When Fall is Coming, as well as films by acclaimed newcomers like Louise Courvoisier’s Holy Cow (Cesar for Best First Film and Best Female Revelation in 2025) and Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light (Grand Prix at Cannes 2024).
This year’s selection includes many award-winning films such as Mati Diop’s documentary, Dahomey, a groundbreaking film about the restitution of the treasure of the kingdom of Dahomey to Benin which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2024, and the animated film, Flow by Gints Zilbalodis, which won the Academy award for Best Animated Feature film this year.
Our classic film selection spotlights the work of the celebrated filmmaker, René Clair, with two of his films, The Beauty of the Devil and The Crazy Ray, and offers students the opportunity to discover some of the most iconic French films of all time: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg by Jacques Demy, Army of the Shadows by Jean-Pierre Melville and The Wages of Fear by Henri-Georges Clouzot.
Albertine Cinémathèque is part of the French for All initiative by Villa Albertine and Albertine Foundation.
Albertine Cinémathèque is made possible by:
Centre National du Cinema et de l’Image Animée (CNC)
Sandrine Neveux | Program Officer sandrine.neveux@villa-albertine.org